The Red Stringed Promise
by icyangel27
Summary: On that day, the Red String tied their fates together, entwining them. In the rain, he left her. Now, in the rain she will meet him. The Red String drifts through, connecting them past two worlds. It pulls them together, entwining them once again. AU mix
1. Her Birthday

The Red Stringed Promise

**Author's Note: **I.C here~ I'm sorry (again) that I haven't updated **The Glass Zanpkatou: A Bleach Cinderella**. I was studying for exams, most of the time. And, I have to admit I'm slightly losing intrest in it but I do want to finish it. Anwayz, this is a one shot for Momo's Birthday. I know, I know; It's EXTREMELY late. But considering it's Toushiro's birthday tomorrow, I was like 'what the heck, I'll post it now.' ^_^

Beware, time concepts are not accurate. First, a cherry tree doesn't grow from a cherry pit if YOU plant it. (Believe me, I tried when I was younger T^T. Get a professional) Also, a full, mature tree will not grow in 11 years! This tree is special...well, you'll see. :) Enjoy! I'll update my profile about when I'm going to update so check that out.

**A little information for your benefit: **A Pinky swear is like an oath two people are bound to, taken more seriously by children. The _Red String of Fate_ is symbolic concept that shows two people are bound by destiny, and will be together through out time. For more info, just seach up Red String of Fate and go to tvtropes.

**Disclaimer: **I DON'T OWN BLEACH! If I did, Toushiro would get a nice surprise for his birthday from Momo *cough* sake-induced-confession *cough*

* * *

><p><em>Birds chirped as the sun shone through the clouds. Like cotton puffs they lazily sailed through the robin egg blue sky, setting the perfect mood for a warm spring afternoon.<em>

"_Baa-san! Can I ask you something?"_

_The elderly lady looked down at her grandchild's friend. She smiled tenderly at the look of determination on his face. They both were sitting on the porch watching Momo, her granddaughter, play along with her other neighbors. They boy didn't want to play out, insisting that it was too hot._

"_Yes, Toushiro-kun."_

"_What would Bedwetter Momo like for her birthday?"His emerald eyes were deadlocked on her face as he looked up. "I wanna get her a gift early so no one else takes my idea!"_

_She chuckled and smoothed out his snow, white hair. _

"_Well…"Momo's grandmother pondered as she looked at her grandchild who was now skipping rope and laughing. "That's a tricky one…but, Momo is perfectly content with anything that you would give, Toushiro-kun."_

_He crossed his arms. "But I need to know what to give her; she'd complain if I got her anything so it needs to be something she wants."_

_The lady sighed. After a moment she spoke, "It may be tricky but she has always wanted to see sakura blossoms. Momo has never got a chance to see one since there are not any nearby sakura trees. I'm sure she would like that."_

_Toushiro's eyebrows furrowed as he mulled over what the old lady had said. "Well, how do you grow one?"_

"_You plant a cherry seed from a cherry and water it regularly. In a few months it should sprout a small sapling."_

_Toushiro scrunched his face as he dwelled on what the old woman said. He focused his eyes on Momo who was now telling an animated story to her friends from across the street; throwing her hands and widening her eyes in exclaimations._

"_Okay Baa-san, that's what I'm going to do…I'm going to grow a sakura tree for Bedwetter so then she won't have to complain about not seeing them!" Toushiro exclaimed. Momo turned around and looked questioningly at Toushiro._

"_Shiro-chan, what are you talking about?"_

_Flustered, Toushiro yelled back, "None of your business Bedwetter!"_

…

_Toushiro wrinkled his nose as he ate around the cherry pit. After many questions and curt answers from him, Toushiro finally managed to ask his mother to buy some cherries._

_He shivered when he bit into the dark red flesh of it and felt his teeth scrape the pit. The bitter-sweet taste squirted into his mouth and made him want to throw it back out. The juices had bled onto his fingertips coloring them with a soft tinge of red-purple. Cherries tasted nothing like the sweet, fresh crispness that watermelon had to offer. They were just _wrong.

Bleh, who makes a fruit like _that_. Watermelon is _way_ better.

_Sucking in his cheeks, he spat the cherry pit into an old pot that Baa-san had lent him. Quickly, he scooped some black soil from the bag into his hands and carefully placed it inside the pot._

"_You better hurry up and grow for Bedwetter. You're my only shot." Smiling with satisfaction he placed the pot next to the steps leading from his house to the backyard._

"_Shiro-chan, what are you doing?"_

_Toushiro hastily turned around to face Momo who was peeping out of the glass sliding doors. He fumbled to hide the pot as he stepped in front of her line of vision._

"_N-nothing you stupid Bedwetter! Who let you here anyways?" He quickly pushed her inside before she could do anything else. He sighed as Momo looked at him with a questioning look._

"_Your Okaa-san let me in." Momo gasped which caused Toushiro to jump._

"_W-what?"_

"_Shiro-chan! Your hands are black!" Momo grabbed his hands and dragged her with him to the sink. "We have to clean them or something bad could happen!"_

_Toushiro squirmed as he was pulled and tried to get out of Momo's grip. "I'm fine you Bedwetter!"_

…

"_Why won't you grow you stupid plant!"_

_Toushiro huffed as he crossed his hands and glared at the plant. It was so pathetic. Even after two weeks of continuous watering the damn thing wouldn't grow one bit! Surely, it would at least peep its head out of the soil but no; it was a coward. He glared at the plant, hoping inside that would somehow scare the plant into coming out of hiding. But, after five minutes, Toushiro gave up on that idea._

"_Why can't you grow?" Toushiro bent down to look at the plant. "Are you afraid? Or, you just can't?" Toushiro whispered." You know, you're not the only one. I can't grow that much either and everyone takes advantage of that. Bed-wetter and Baa-san keeps on ruffling my hair like I'm a kid."He shrugged, "It's okay when Baa-san does it; I like it. But, Bedwetter shouldn't do it._ I'm _supposed to protect her—not the other way around!" Toushiro looked down as felt something prick at his eyes. "Sometimes…I wish I could grow up…I want to be someone that's stronger and who can protect something." _

_Toushiro quietly stayed like that for a while. He felt something slide down his cheek and fall onto the plant. He quickly swiped at his eyes, irritated. "Stupid tears." A soft gentle breeze blew by, ruffling his clothes and kissing his cheek. He blinked repeatedly as he looked closely at the pot of soil. If he looked close enough he could see a tiny green bud hidden away in the blanket of dark soil. Toushiro let a small smile escape from his lips as the wind blew the soil away a bit from the bud._

"_Thank you."_

…

"_Happy Birthday Momo!"_

_The crowd chorused together as they watched Momo's eager face glow in the candle light. Taking a deep breath she blew out all of the five candles. Toushiro stayed by her side as she cut out a piece of cake and quickly put it in her mouth. He watched the pure look of joy on her face; the way her mouth turned into a pretty smile always made him feel light like feathers inside._

"_Shiro-chan! Open wide!"_

_Momo shoved a piece of cake onto his face forcing him to open his mouth. His eyes widened in surprise as he closed his mouth and ate the cake. The sweet sugary frosting and strawberry custard filled his mouth with pleasure and he smiled in content. It was like…_heaven.

_Toushiro opened his eyes to the birthday girl's expectant eyes as she smiled. "Shiro-chan? Do you like it?" Toushiro was about to reply when gave it a second thought as everyone around him was staring. He scowled deeply at Momo. "It was too sweet! And don't force it my mouth, Bedwetter!"_

"_Mou...Shiro-chan."_

…

_After the cake had been cut, all the adults started to chat with each other. Since it was Momo's birthday it was hard for Toushiro to talk to her without someone coming up and wishing her. The white haired boy decided to wait outside in the backyard while he guarded his plant. It had grown well for the past month; there was finally a little stem with a bud coming out._

_Toushiro smiled at the cherry sprout. His ears perked up when he heard the faint calling of his name. He turned his head around to see none other than Momo pop her head out of the glass doors._

"_Shiro-chan! There you are!"_

"_Bedwetter…"_

_Momo stepped out and closed the doors behind her. "I was looking for you everywhere. I want to show you what I got!" She smiled at Toushiro and he instantly felt bubbly inside. He wanted her to smile more for _him_._

"_Bedwetter, come over here," Toushiro gestured. "I have something for you."_

_Momo's eyes widened before she pouted at the little boy._

"_Mou, Shiro-chan. I told you that you didn't have to get me anything."_

"_Yeah, yeah, whatever. I know you secretly wanted something."_

_Momo stuck out her lip as she looked down. "…That's not true."_

_Toushiro let out a crooked smile as he took both her hands. "Kay, I'm going to give it to you but you better close your eyes."_

"_Why?"_

"_Just do it Bedwetter!" Toushiro raised his voice at Momo. She closed her eyes hard as she waited for further instructions._

"_You better not open them." In response, Momo squished her eyes harder, her eyebrows furrowed._

_Picking up the pot, he gently placed it in her hands, holding the pot so it wouldn't fall. He waited for her to open her eyes but she just stood still with her scrunched up face._

_Toushiro frowned as he sighed, "You can open them now."_

_Gently prying open one eye, as if Momo was testing if it was safe, she looked at what was in her hands. Immediately her face lightened up and her mouth opened wide._

"_It's a cherry plant. You can grow it into a sakura tree when it gets older," the boy clarified._

_Momo turned her gift around in her hands, looking it at all directions with amazement and wonder._

"_Wow! It's so cute, Shiro-chan! Did you grow this?"_

_Toushiro turned his head to the side when Momo looked up at him; her chocolate eyes were wide and filled with a happy mirth. He could feel his face heating up as he scratched the back of his head. "I-it wasn't that big of a deal."_

_Before he knew it, Momo tackled Toushiro to the ground and hugged him around the waist as she snuggled closer to him. Toushiro immediately flushed as he tried to get her off of him._

"_M-Momo! What are y-you doing?"_

_She laughed as she saw the white haired boy look embarrassed. "I love your present Shiro-chan! That's why I want to thank you."_

_Toushiro stopped trying to push her off and looked away again, blushing._

"_It was nothing, really."_

_Momo giggled. "I really like it! In fact, it's my favorite!" A puzzled expression flashed on her face as she cocked her head up. "But Shiro-chan, how did you know I wanted a cherry tree?"_

"_I just did," Toushiro smirked in response._

"_Wow, you're really a genius Shiro-chan!" Toushiro laughed inside at how easily she believed him. "I can't wait until it grows! It'll become a big tree with beautiful flowers!And then Shiro-chan, we can see them together, right Shiro-chan?"_

"_Don't call me that Bedwetter."_

_Momo stuck her tongue out at him and she continued on. "You'll always be my Shiro-chan!" She continued on, "After we see them we'll climb up the tree! And Shiro-chan, the best part is we'll do it together! That way we can see past the whole neighborhood and maybe the whole world! Wouldn't that be great?"_

_The white haired boy frowned at her. "I'm not climbing up that tree with you. If you fall, Baa-san will blame me."_

_Momo smiled up at him. "Don't worry Shiro-chan; I'll be careful if you're with me! Plus, we'll be older and stronger."_

_Toushiro closed his eyes as he sighed in exasperation. She wasn't going to quit it. "Fine; I'll do it," he said with defeat. _

_She smiled as she hugged him even tighter. "Thank you Shiro-chan!" She stuck out her pinky at him. "Pinky promise?"_

_He scowled at the childish act. "I'm not going to-" "Shiro-chan," she whined as she stretched out the last syllable._

_Toushiro looked at her sad face and instantly felt worse inside. Something inside gave in and he wrapped her pinky with his own._

"_Fine, pinky promise."_

"_No, Shiro-chan!" Momo exclaimed. "You have to say the words!"_

_Toushiro scowled. "That's childish Momo."_

_She pouted. "Pretty please~"_

_Again, the feeling came back and Toushiro was really started to get annoyed by it. He sighed before he started, "Pinky Promise,"—Momo joined in—"if you lie, I will make you swallow a thousand needles."_

_Toushiro pulled away his pinky. "Now that's ove—."_

_"Wait a sec Shiro-chan! I almost forgot!"_

_Toushiro raised an eyebrow as he watched his friend take a loose string from her red dress and rip it out. "What are you doing Bedwetter?" She mumbled a "hold on," as she struggled to tie the string onto her right pinky. She looked up at him, "Shiro-chan, can you please tie this?"_

_Slightly confused at how much she's going to make a promise, he complied, still not understanding what she's doing. Momo smiled and said "thank you," as she tied the other end to Toushiro's left pinky. "Wait, Bedwetter, why are you tieing me to the string?" He was a little suspicious now and hoped she wasn't going to make him her slave or something. It was probably some punishment..._

_"Okay! Done! Shiro-chan, this is called the _Red String of Fate_," Momo explained as she held up her pinky to show him. "It means that two people will always be together! For forever and ever and ever! That's what Obaa-san told me!"_

_Toushiro stared at the string like it was a foreign object as he processed the explaination. "So...that means you and me will be together forever?"_

_"Yep!" She nodded, her pig tails flying. "That way, you have no choice but to climb up the tree with me!"_

_So it was blackmail after all... Toushiro sighed, already dreading the fact the he allowed this._

_"Now, that's ov—"_

"_No!" Momo cried out. "We still have to seal it!"_

"_Wait, with what?" Toushiro asked, slightly exasperated and surprised that there was still more._

_Momo bent over and quickly pecked his cheek with a smile. Toushiro immediately flushed red as he felt her lips on her cheek._

_Momo beamed while Toushiro stared at her with wide eyes. "W-what w-was t-that for?" he stuttered._

_Momo just smiled. "We have to seal it with a kiss, Shiro-chan. You know that." She looked up at him, worry in her eyes. "Didn't you want to seal our promise?"_

_He turned his head to the side, "Whatever. It was fine." He sighed and looked down at Momo. "Now that's over with, can you do me a favor?" _

"_Yes! Anything!"_

_The little boy squirmed as he tried to push her off again. "Get the heck off me, Bed-wetter. You're heavy."_

"_Shiro-chan!"_

…

…

…

_Thud_

I woke up with a start as my head hit the desk. I rubbed it, frowning as I pushed myself up.

I quickly opened my eyes and turned my head around to see if anyone noticed that I was sleeping. Nope, the math teacher was still droning on about algorithms. But, I wasn't the only one settling into a coma—half of the class was dozing off or secretly listening to their IPods. Renji was snickering at me and I stuck out my tongue at him.

He threw a note. _Miss Goody-Two shoes sleeping in class? What's happening to Hinamori? Suddenly decided to be a rebel?_

I pouted and quickly wrote back a reply.

_Renji-kun~ Don't be mean! Be nice to me today :P_

He still chuckled but resumed to doodling in his notebook. After a few minutes, he threw it back at me, the note bonking me on my head. I threw him a look as I opened up the note; it was the sensei running away from a ferocious lion with red pineapples (Renji's signature touch) coming after him. I couldn't help but let a smile slip and mouthed _Thank you_ back at him. He winked at me and set his head down to sleep on the desk.

I leaned against my hand and looked out the window. It was still raining outside which made the class seem gloomier and darker. Only grey clouds covered the sky top and I could hear the faint sounds of car horns outside. Couples were huddled together under umbrellas and I sighed whimsically, as I watched them go.

The drawing was crumpled in my hands and I glanced down again at Renji and my silent conversation. I know that he's intentionally trying to make me smile today which is why he's a great friend. I don't have to tell him anything but he already remembered. Izuru probably knows also and will try to do something special for me today. I could always count on them two…

"_Fine; I'll do it."_

"_Thank you Shiro-chan!"_

Something squeezed my heart inside.

No, this wasn't the time to think about that. Especially not _today. _I already got over it and I'm not going to relive this.

I shook my head in hopes that all those melancholic thoughts would leave. As much as it hurt, I needed to forget about them for today—that's all.

I picked up a pencil and began to draw on Renji's note. First a cylinder—no, scratch that. It looks like a rectangle. I grumbled inside; drawing shapes was never really my forte. I scribbled it away with an eraser and tried again. First, the cylinder; draw some icing; top it with strawberries and whip cream. After, I drew sixteen lines all stretching upwards with little flicks of flame that looked like it was going to burn the red pineapple above it. I glanced down at the bottom of the note. In his scratchy scrawl he wrote "_Happy 16__th__ Birthday Hinamori_."

I managed a smile and glanced over at Renji. He was still sleeping with his IPod ear buds tucked in. I quickly scribbled a reply with a smile and aimed it at the top of his ponytail before letting it sail.

_Thanks, Renji _

…

"Hinamori-kun! Wait up!"

I turned around and my face broke into a grin. "Izuru-kun!" I waited for him as he ran up to me. I couldn't help but laugh as he leaned onto his knees, panting for breath.

His clear blue eyes looked up at me through his long blond bang. (I always told him to cut it but he never listened, insisting that it made him look "cool.")

"Do you know how many times I had to call you Hinamori-kun? I think you're becoming deaf…"

He laughed as I bonked his head. "Mou, Izuru-kun, don't say stuff like that. I was just…_pre-occupied._" Izuru opened his mouth to say something, but stopped himself. He shook his head and said, "Well, then, let's go to Home Ecc. I heard we're going to make strawberry shortcake."

My ears perked up. "Really?" I loved strawberry shortcake for as long as I could remember. Each birthday it was must to have it or else I wouldn't eat any other kind of cake.

"Then Izuru-kun you have to give me some of yours since it _is_ my special day~"

He smiled and said, "Only if Abarai doesn't take all of it. We'll see though…"

I frowned and playfully hit him. "That better be a yes!" He laughed and we walked towards Home Ecomonics.

I didn't ask what Izuru was about to say. I already knew what he had in mind.

"_Shiro-chan! Open wide!"_

"_It was too sweet! And don't force it my mouth, Bedwetter!"_

Again, I was thankful he didn't bring it up. He knew how it made me feel and I was glad about that. But, even with that, I couldn't help but feel down.

I shook my head and berated myself for thinking about that again. It wasn't the time to think about things like that. I was going to have fun. It's my day.

…

After Home Ecc, the day continued on uneventfully. It was starting to feel like the weather outside. I sighed. I opened my locker to change my shoes and take out my books. Hopefully, things were going to be better at home. I could already smell Okaa-san's traditional peach tart she makes me every year. And, if I thought about it more, I could feel the sweet jelly fruit on my tongue as it melted into a—

I yelped and fell down as someone came behind me and poked my sides. "Ow," I grumbled as I nursed them. I turned around and saw Renji laughing and clutching his stomach.

"That was—was freaking hilarious," he panted out between his laughs. I stuck out my tongue at him but he kept on laughing. "God, Hinamori—your face. Hilarious. Don't you think so Kira?" Renji asked after he settled down.

Izuru glanced sympathetically at me as he held a hand out. "Are you okay Hinamori?" I nodded and gratefully took his hand. "Thanks Izuru-kun. Atleast I can count on _some _people." I glared at Renji who started laughing again. He patted Izuru's back. "You guys are softies."

"Anyways, are you going home now Hinamori-kun?" Izuru-kun asked. "It's still raining pretty hard."

Renjii quickly turned serious, the previous teasing smile gone. "Yeah, you aren't going to walk in this down pour are you? It's raining cats and dogs. Do you want us to walk with you?"

I giggled. "Guys, I'm fine!" I pushed a sleeve on my arm and flexed it. "I got muscle too! I can take care of myself!" They exchanged skeptical glances between them, not fully convinced. I sighed. They're such over protective fools but I love them. "I don't want to keep you from your clubs and school meetings."

When they didn't say anything, I went over and hugged them together, squeezing their arms. "I'm fine." To prove it I grinned from side to side. Izuru sighed in defeat and Renji laughed hitting me on the head. "As long as you're okay with it…" Izuru said, but he sounded unsure.

"Just don't get into trouble Hinamori," Renji finished. Even though he said it playfully I could still hear the serious under tone. Picking up my bag and pink umbrella I dusted my skirt.

"I won't, you guys. You make it seem like I'm a walking hazard." We laughed together before I walked out the school doors, opening my umbrella. I turned around and saw them still staring at my back. I laughed and waved at them before walking in to the courtyard.

The rain hit my pink umbrella like pellets before dripping down the edges in streams. Moisture and humidity hung in the damp air making it more suffocating. The ground seemed to slip under my feet and I slowed my pace, glancing every few moments at my feet. The last thing I wanted was for my uniform to sport dirt and mud.

Just when I was about to step on the road a car whizzed by, honking. My heart jumped into my throat and I fumbled backwards as if something yanked me back by the arm. The cars continued to race by, completely oblivious about pedestrians. I sighed but it did no good to calm my racing heart; it thumped like a startled bird against my rib cage.

_Calm down. Calm down. It's not the same as _last time_. _A deep fear pooled in the bottom of my stomach, climbing up until it took a hold of my heart and squeezed it. I gasped. _No, it could have been. It's too close to that. _My hands tightened around my handle. _It's also raining…_

I gulped and tried to push down the lump in my throat. _Maybe I should I take the long route._

I walked along the park. The trees were just starting to bud new flowers. Little children ran past with their moms, eager to go home. Their rubber boots splashed in the puddles making flopping noises. Some couples were huddled under their umbrellas, the men with his hand wrapped around the women's waist as they looked up into the gray sky.

I smiled whimsically. It was always so cute to see couples together into their own world. It was like they could escaped everything and just be alone, together.

"_After we see them we'll climb up the tree! And Shiro-chan, the best part is we'll do it together! That way we can see past the whole neighborhood and maybe the whole world! Wouldn't that be great?"_

"Shiro-chan." My eyes widened as I realized I said his name out loud. It seemed foreign and strange on my lips. For the past nine years, that name was like a taboo word; rarely did my family ever speak of it. Ever since the accident…

I sighed. It was futile to keep it away in the back of my head if everything seemed to remind me of him. Even though there was nothing left of him, his presence lingers in the back of mind.

"_Get the heck off me, Bed-wetter. You're heavy."_

I couldn't help but let out a small smile. He always had a way of making everything blunt and to the point. That was something I always loved about him even though I didn't realize it until it was too late…

His mom and dad had moved away shortly after. Time to time they would send me cards on special occasions like Christmas, and birthdays. But it was too painful for them to stay here since, like me, everything reminded them of their son. I was puzzled and confused why they had left but Okaa-san sat me down and explained to me everything as best as she could to a seven year old. I admit I hated them at first, but then after I started to cry, I wished they took me away with them.

Obba-san left shortly after. It started off with her visits becoming fewer and fewer. And each time she could actually come, it seemed she was thinner. Then, she just disappeared. One day I found Okaa-san crying in her room. Her long raven hair covered her face as she held it in her hands. Her small body racked and trembled with sobs. I didn't know what to do. When she saw me at the door, her brown eyes widened as if she was startled before she gestured me forward and hugged me tightly. She soaked my dress but I didn't say anything because I was scared. She whispered into my hair, "Momo...Obaa-san had to…had to leave us. She won't come… home anymore." She sniffled. "She said that she has…has to take care of…Shiro-chan…for you."

I didn't know why but I cried along with my Okaa-san. It seemed like something to at the moment even though I didn't really understand it well. We just stayed together in silence, not moving, until my stomach growled, shattering the silence.

She pulled back and looked at me before softly laughing. Okaa-san wiped away her tears with a tissue. "Are you hungry, Momo? Let's get you something to eat, shall we?" She forced a smile, and I knew she was trying to get better.

Lost in thought, I failed to notice I was already outside my home. I eagerly dashed to the front door, wanting to get out of this rain.

"Okaa-san! Tadiama!" I called out as I opened the door. No response. _That's strange. Usually, Okaa-san is home from work by now. _I took off my shoes and slipped into my slippers as I trudged into the kitchen. On the granite island next to the peach pie was a green post-it note.

_Sorry Momo. Have to stay late at the hospital today. Will try to come back as soon as I can Enjoy a slice of your peach pie, there's more in the fridge._

"Mou, Okaa-san isn't here." I sighed but I knew she couldn't help it. Okaa-san worked hard to support both of us. I quickly rushed upstairs to change from my damp uniform. Shutting my door closed I shed off the uniform and slipped over a white summer dress, letting the soft material graze over my skin. _It's never too early to wear summer dresses, _I thought. I let loose my hair from its ponytail, swishing it as I looked at the mirror. The wind came in through from my window and I realized I left it slightly open. Pulling the curtains to cover it the window fully, I then ran down stairs to eat the peach pie.

"Delicious~" I exclaimed as I dunked another spoon into the pie. It was so sweet and crisp that I didn't even bother putting into the microwave. "I'll save some for later," I said to myself.

After I put away the pie, I stood against the patio windows. The cherry tree stood tall, its branches reaching above the house's roof as if it was touching the grey clouds. It was the only tree in the neighborhood that was in full bloom. For some strange reason, it always bloomed early each year. I smiled as I saw the clumps of sakura blossoms sway in the wind. It was so beautiful. I'm glad that at least his gift could still stay alive…

I shook my head. "I wonder if I got any mail…" There were usually some birthday cards from distant relatives and the Hitsugayas. I walked past the living room to the front closet and took out a dark blue denim jacket. Shaking the water from the umbrella and slipping on my white ballet flats, I grabbed the mail key and headed out the door.

The neighborhood was quiet as no one was outside. The rain slowed down to a soothing drizzle. I walked down the steps and onto the sidewalk, checking both sides for any cars. Nope, none. I ran across the road, mindful of the puddles. I opened up the mail box container and immediately a bunch of cards fluttered out, threatening to spill. Before they could fall, I grabbed them, dropping my umbrella on the ground.

"Wow, there are so many…" I knew I would get some cards but not a whole pile! I took the bills and other mail before shutting the door closed. Closing the umbrella, I held it against my body with my elbow while I shuffled through the mail.

"Birthday card, Birthday card, bill, bill, bill, card, card, hospital…" I mumbled. There seemed to be an endless array of bills. It was like the black font melded together to repeat the word _bill_. I continued to walk scanning for anything more. All of a sudden, I heard a car honking and lights casted shadows across my hands. My body froze and all I could do was turn and stare at the blinding light. I couldn't move or speak. All I could hear was the loud screech of the car and my racing heart all in my head.

The world turned over and the wind rushed to my head. The cards fluttered to the ground before the lights shut down and I slipped down into darkness.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>Toushiro seems like the person to not like cherries, don'tcha think? I remember eating cherries in July and trying to imagine myself as Toushiro for this story ^_^ I didn't like them much at first so that's where you get that vivid description of a 'disgusting' cherry.

Please review! Constructive criticism would be appreciated (not too harsh though, please) since this is my first 'First Person' P.O.V story. Did you like the ending? Want to throw tomatoes at it? Just press the Review button and tell me all about it ^_^ I assure you, things aren't as they seem :) Think about the second character in this...where is he?

**Tadiama- **I'm home!

PCE ^_^


	2. Their Promise

The Red Stringed Promise

**Author's Note: **MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE! *throws confetti* It's still Christmas for me here but I think it already passed for some people. LOL. Well it's the thought that counts. Thanks to my lovely reviewers: **Hyourinmaru10, **and** Bird of Rebirth**. Cookies for you two! Also thanks to those who favourited. I managed to write this out as a Christmas present, so enjoy!

**Disclaimer: **I don't own Bleach (too tired to think of a catchy thing).

**Additional Note for your benefit: T**he Red String of Fate is actually invisible (then how do people know it's red? Their imagination...) Momo just uses it literally and..apparently, so does Toushiro. By the way, listen to **Last Fantasy **by **IU **when they're descending. It's the perfect music I think and it reminds me of Tangled's main song. If you don't like Korean pick something similar to that.

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><p><em>Angel Wings.<em>

_They were like Angel Wings._

_When the light hit them, they were blinding white. Spectrums of light sparkled like diamonds. It pulled me out of the darkness, shining bright in the murky black._

_At first, all I felt was the wind on my face and the drop in my stomach. My instincts told me I was moving higher and higher. The air around me shifted and frost pinched my skin, sending shivers through me._

_Frost? Isn't it spring now…?_

_Something tightened on my shoulders and knees. My body was pulled against a cool wall. Mint wafted through the air, like a refreshing winter breath._

"_Don't you…ever do something like that again…baka."_

_Anger. Silent anger with a soft tremble. Embedded in that deep tone it was there. Why Anger?_

_I opened my eyes more, but I struggled as the darkness started to wrap itself around me. A cold, dark chill came over me and I started to fall in it. It was more overwhelming; like a tremendous tsunami wave of artic water. It started to pulsate and the rhythmic hum lulled me down._

No. Don't give in.

_I focused on the white Angel Wings. The Angel Wings that I knew saved me. The light subsided as the Wings shifted. Spectrums flashed before disappearing good bye._

_No, they weren't Angel Wings._

_The last thing I saw before the cold took me under was ice._

…

My senses started to stir and I became slightly more aware of the warmth around me. Not really wanting to get up, I shifted around until I found another warm spot and burrowed deeper into it. A sigh escaped my lips as soft rays warmed my back. It felt like heaven…

I slowly opened my eyes and the cotton candy ceiling of my room them. Feeling suddenly groggy, I pushed myself up from the bed. I looked around, finding it a little strange that I woke up in my bed during the evening. But everything seemed to be in order; there was nothing out of place.

"What happened?" I asked, but more to myself. _I'm pretty sure I was checking the mail before_…Racking my head I tried to figure out what happened but I couldn't remember much. It was like trying to look through a fog. Maybe I dreamed it all?

I sat up and my blue denim jacket fell off of my chest. _What's that doing there?_ I don't think I would have slept with that on, not when it was in the closet. Instinctively, I reached up to touch my hair. I gasped and quickly ran my fingers through my raven tresses. They were damp. _How did my hair get wet?_ Suddenly panic filled me inside. _Oh my gosh. What if I was sleep-walking? And then I went outside and I almost got into a car accident?_ I quickly brought my hand down and started biting my nails out of nervousness. Twisting my head from side to side, I looked for anything also unusual. It seemed with this new discovery that everything wasn't as it should be. _I need to tell this to Okaa-san._

I quickly got up out of bed, fumbling to find my slippers. My white ballet flats lay next to my bed, as if they were waiting for me to slip back in. _How did they get there?_ Panic re-circled back through my body and I quickly slipped them on. I ran to the door and just as I was about to reach for the knob, the door thrust open, its edge hitting me on the forehead. I yelped in surprised and fell on my knees. My forehead burst with pain, like it was a gong hit by a stick.

"Oww!" I clutched at my forehead as I could feel it throb. With each second the pain seemed to pulsate and grow. Tears stung at my eyes and I winced in pain. Tentatively, I rubbed the sore spot but it flashed with pain as I touched it.

"Hinamori!" I heard a deep masculine voice exclaim. Where did that come from? "A-Are you okay?"

I shook my head furiously. Couldn't this person see I was just hit on the forehead? "It hurts…" I whimpered.

"Here, let me see."

I shook my head, still trying to rub at the bump to soothe it.

"Baka, stop acting like that. I need to see it if I can help."

_Baka_? Who was calling me a baka? And why did that sound so familiar?

Cool hands pulled away my own from my face and I could feel shivers run up my skin. My bangs still hung in front of my eyes so I could only see the person's hands.

"Come on," he prodded. "Please show me." It was quiet with a hint of worry. Slowly I let the person place his hands on my face as he gently pulled my face up. My cheeks felt instantly cool at the place the person's skin touched mine. But inside, little flames I never knew existed sparked. I lifted my face up but everything was blurry through the tears. I could vaguely see some white but what caught my attention the most were two blobs of aquamarine.

He chuckled. It was such a deep voice it had to be a guy. "It's just a small bump, nothing to cry about Bedwetter."

My heart skipped a beat. There was only one person who ever had the inclination to call me that; only one boy who could say it like that. I banished those thoughts. That couldn't be…He was gone.

I froze as a finger softly grazed over my cheeks, wiping away my tears. He traced up the tear streaks before brushing them off. "Don't cry anymore…Bedwetter." My breath hitched as I gazed into his aquamarine eyes. I had to know. I had to know. Was this a dream? Was this an illusion?

"Shiro-chan?" I whispered. There. The taboo word. The foreign word. It felt so lonely on my lips.

I uttered it so softly, I wasn't sure if he even heard it. Maybe it was banished to the air as it was tab—

"Yes Bedwetter?"

I yelped and pushed him away as I scrambled back. He fell back and I could hear him mutter something under his breath. My heart raced and rang in my ears, scrambling all possible coherent thoughts. It wasn't possible. No, it wasn't. Shiro-chan was dead…This couldn't be him.

He sat up, trying to get his bearings together. No, this couldn't be Shiro-chan. This _imposter_—he was different. The normal white spiky hair was matted down and bangs covered his left eye. I stared at his strange white cloak and black kimono. He was wearing a teal scarf despite it being spring. Strung around him was a teal sash and I could see a sword protrude from behind his back. I took a sharp intake of breath. _A sword?_

I could hear him swear under his breath as he fixed his cloak. He rubbed at the back of his head. "Hinamori, what was that for? What are you—?"

"Shut up! Just shut up!" I yelled. He closed his mouth, eyes wide. Tears started to reform in my eyes. "Who are you? Why are you pretending to be 'Shiro-chan'?"

His eyes softened "Bedwetter…"

I clutched at my ears. I didn't want to hear it. Not with his voice. "Don't call me that! Only Shiro-chan called me that!" I pushed myself back against the foot board of my bed and huddled my knees together, as if I was pushing myself away from this imposter.

He crawled forward slowly. "Bedwetter, it is me. _Shiro-chan_."

"You can't be him! Shiro-chan died! He left! He's gone and he's not coming back!" I cried hysterically and sobbed into my knees. All the things that I pushed back fell down my face. My whole body trembled and it felt like I was going to fall from a cliff. I kept on trying to grasp for breath but it fell in short breaths.

This was all a cruel prank; a sick twisted joke. Someone was trying to pretend to be my lost long friend and playing with my feelings. It hurt so much in my chest I wanted to scream. Why would anyone want to pretend to be Shiro-chan? The Shiro-chan that I loved and missed so much?

"Hinamori."

He said my name like it was a soft caress. Suddenly I felt him push his arms around me and pull me into his embrace. "I'm so sorry…" he whispered into my hair. My eyes widened and my heart seemed to jump more. I struggled to get out trying to push myself out but he gripped me tighter.

"Let…me…go," I shifted my body and managed to pull out my arm and grab the closest pillow. I struck the imposter on the head as hard as I could and I head him growl. "Let. Me. Go." I said through gritted teeth. With each word I hit him harder and harder.

"Bedwetter…" There was a sense of irritation in his voice but I didn't stop. Let the imposter be irritated, for all I cared. I repeatedly hit him until his grip on me went slack and I took my chance. Dropping the pillow, I scampered out of his embrace and stood up. _I need to escape. _I started to run to the door but something hard clamped onto my ankle. I dropped to the floor with a thud and yelped as the imposter grabbed my shoulders. He turned me around so quickly my head reeled and I felt dizzy. All fragmented thoughts jumbled inside like puzzle pieces.

"Will you please listen to me for second, Hinamori?"

I froze. He was looming over me with his knees on either side of my hips and hands clutching my wrists like shackles. He sounded so sincere and truthful, something inside wanted to listen to him. The logical side resisted, however, saying danger. What did he want from me? My mind stopped as I realized what position I was in. Fear held my heart and more tears ran down my cheeks, coursing through old streaks.

"Please—please don't…hurt me…" I pleaded softly.

Shock flashed through his face as his eyes widened slightly—like he couldn't believe the idea. His eyebrow twitched and his jaw set. I could feel him try to restrain something as his arms and shoulders shook.

"Baka," his voiced cracked. I was expecting that he was going to hit me or worse but he flicked me on the forehead. The pain escalated and it felt like I was hit by the door all over again. "Hey! What's that for?" I cried and glared at him. He scowled back at me. "That was for not listening." He pinched my cheeks and stretched them while I squealed. "Second, that was for thinking I'd ever hurt you. And…"

Before I knew it, he grabbed my shoulders and pulled me onto his lap. He cradled my body against his, pushing me towards him as he tightened his hold on my shoulders and knees. My head lay under the crook of his neck and a mint aroma flooded my senses, lulling me into a daze.

"This is for being away from you all this time," he whispered. He held me tighter. "I'm sorry for making you cry…Momo."

Time seemed to slow down at that moment. Everything ebbed away into a white world. It was like we were the only two things that existed. The fear dissipated like clouds and I felt like everything was being lifted up. It was as if the strings on my heart were let go like balloons, drifting upwards into a sense of euphoria.

It felt so familiar like when I was a kid. Again, I felt tears climb back up on tremble down my cheeks. I had to ask again…just to make sure it wasn't a deception, but the real thing.

"Is-is it…really you Shiro-chan?"

A pause. I held my breath in waiting, unsure.

"Don't call me that…Bedwetter."

And like that everything poured out. He was back. Shiro-chan came back. My Shiro-chan returned. He was right here. Even if it was an illusion or not I'm just so glad he's here…

I sobbed into his cloak, letting out all my tears. I couldn't control it all. "I-I'm so glad you're back Shiro-chan! I missed you so much!" I hiccupped. "I wish you never left. Please don't—don't ever do that again." I broke down again and stopped talking. My throat felt constricted like a lump was stuck in it.

Shiro-chan clutched on to me tighter, rubbing my back soothingly. If he was annoyed that I was wetting his cloak he didn't mention it.

My sobs subsided into small hiccups as time went on. I could feel the sun's warmth on my back as it broke through my window. I felt calmer and the lump was gone from my throat. It was like there was nothing in my chest; all the sadness and frustration from the past nine years gone. It was all gone.

I snuggled into the crook of his neck and just breathed. In and out. Taking in his presence like it would disappear if I didn't memorize it.

"Are you feeling better now?" I couldn't see his face but I hear the wary tone in his voice, like he was afraid of treading into still waters. I nodded but I still kept my head under his neck. I needed to calm down more before I could actually try to speak.

He probably sensed that—Shiro-chan always had a way of knowing what I wanted—so he started talking. I could feel the chords of his neck thrum and vibrate as he spoke.

"You know at first, you really annoyed me."

I felt everything freeze inside me and my heart dropped into my throat. What was he saying? I tried to move back so I can look at him in the face but he tightened his grip and pressed me in towards him. His soft scarf tickled my cheeks and I relaxed, hesitantly.

"After I…left, I didn't remember anything of my past life. It wasn't important to me at all." My heart dropped again and tears started to reform in my eyes. He continued, "I was all alone because no one wanted anything to do with me. Abnormality isn't easily accepted. I starved by myself and almost wished I could die. But then an old lady came and took care of me."

_Obaa-san, it had to be her,_ I thought. _She really did promise…_

"She took care of me even though I didn't know her and I slowly grew familiar to her. But there was a gnawing feeling bothering me. After, I had strange dreams of plains of ice. I would always appear there, alone. Shortly after, an annoying woman found me and advised me to become a shinigami—a soul reaper. It turns out my power was unknowingly killing Obaa-san." My eyes widened, shocked. "From there I became a shinigami. After, I graduated to a captain class. I was at the top, it felt like I had the right to be there after suffering by myself; I had a vice captain, a whole squadron, practically everything. But there was always something that I couldn't figure out…

"Then the dreams happened; a dream of a red ribbon drifting towards me. Alone in the darkness it was like a red blaring light. I tried to reach it but it would always evade me, like the damn thing was taunting me. Many times I would have the same dream and each time it would run away. Then, one time I actually caught it. As soon as I touched it, it wrapped around my wrist and pulled me down. I struggled but it pulled me like a rocket. Everything blurred around me as the world rushed past and I had half a mind of cutting the ribbon. Until I saw where it was pulling me to. Each time it took me down, it would lead me to the same place. You."

I gasped.

"Always on the other end would be you, sleeping in your bed. I tried to escape from the hold but it had a vice grip on me. So I gave up fighting and just stayed still. I watched you each time, trying to figure out something. There was something about you I couldn't figure out, like you were an unsolvable question. It annoyed me to no end and I stopped myself from thinking about you.

"Then I was assigned to the Human World for a mission. I had to research the increase of Hollows in this area,"—I didn't know what a Hollow was but I didn't say anything—"and stop them. I stayed here for a couple days. Once, I got a page from a Hollow attack. Immediately I rushed over there and then guess who I found?" I opened my mouth to answer 'I don't know,' but he continued on. "It was you, Bedwetter." My eyes widened and I searched my mind for such a memory. I'm sure I would've remembered meeting Shiro-chan.

"You were alone in a forest and screaming for someone to help you but there was no one there. Your hair was a mess and your skirt torn as you crawled back. The Hollow hung over you like a hungry beast, waiting to eat its prey." I shivered, terrified that all these things happened and I had no recollection of them what so ever. Shiro-chan held onto me tighter, if it was possible, and whispered, "That sight—you being helpless— made my blood boil. All I saw was red after. And the next thing I knew, I was standing over the Hollow as it disintegrated into ice shards. I was heavily panting and there was blood over the sword. I turned to look at you and you yelped. Your whole body was shivering and your brown eyes were filled with tears. I reached out to you, instinctively, but you backed away, still crying. Something broke inside but I knew it was useless. I then erased your memory and carried you back to your house."

"You did?" I uttered those words before I realized I even spoke. My voice was hoarse and raspy.

I could feel Shiro-chan's chin touch my forehead as he nodded. "You slept so peacefully, it was like you weren't attacked at all. After that, I stopped denying your presence and followed you. The logical side said it was because you had spiritual powers. But the other side said it was because you were part of the something that was missing."

Tears retraced their old routes. "So…you always were by my side?"

He pulled back, and looked down at me. His emerald eyes, I realized at that time, were the most gorgeous eyes I had ever seen. Inside them was a set of determination. He said softly, "As much as I could."

Shiro-chan…He was always with me…even if I didn't know it. He would be with me…

His eyes widened as they looked startled. "Hinamori, what's wrong?"

I laughed a mix between a giggle and sob. "No-no, nothing is wrong." I shook my head. "I'm so glad that you were just always with me!"

His emerald eyes softened. "Hinamori…"

I sprang forward and clutched at his cloak. "Shiro-chan, I've missed you so much. Please don't leave me."

He remained silent and we stayed like that, just holding each other as if we were making up for all lost time. Even if it had been nine years, it still felt fresh: the presence of Shiro-chan.

"Hinamori…let's go," he said, breaking the silence. Shiro-chan tugged onto the back of my dress, pulling it. I pulled back and looked up at him. There was something indiscernible in his eyes that I couldn't put my finger on.

"Where Shiro-chan?"

He stood up abruptly and I yelped as I almost fumbled to the ground. Suddenly, he caught me and lifted me up in his arms, my head leaning against his cloak.

"Just come, Bedwetter," Shiro-chan said with an authoritative tone that meant no arguing.

I crossed my arms and pouted at him. "It doesn't really look like I have a choice, do I?"

He chuckled. "No, no you don't."

And with that he whisked me away, the air rushing past me. He stepped onto the sill of the window and jumped out. Immediately, I felt my stomach drop and I screamed. "Shiro-chan! What are you doing?" I clutched onto his cloak tighter, pulling myself closer to his chest so that there was no empty space between us. I could feel his chest rumble as he chuckled.

"Baka. Open your eyes."

Slowly, I pried one eye open and then gasped. There was a huge expanse of red streaked orange surrounding us. The clouds became soft little purple puffs strolling by, like they didn't know it was grey before. They were so close that I could reach out and touch one of them. I turned my head from side to side, but there was nothing else but colors and clouds.

I turned to look at Shiro-chan to tell him how beautiful it was when I noticed the things on his back. There were wings—ice wings.

"Wow…" I said as I stared at them. I reached out to touch them, like they had a hypnotic effect on me and skimmed my hand over it. They were like cold metal.

"When I go into Bankai state, they come out," Shiro-chan explained. I nodded, as if I understood what he was talking about but all I could think about was the way they sparkled.

Then, I looked down and the blood dropped from my face. The town lay below us, like little doll houses. The roads turned into thin lines with the cars going by like little dots. I buried my head into Shiro-chan's cloak, feeling dizzy and afraid all of a sudden.

"You shouldn't have looked down, baka."

I punched him and I smiled when I heard him say "Ow." Now, it really felt like I was lifted into a sense of euphoria. All around us was the air but it was practically air. The only support I had was Shiro-chan.

"Please don't drop me Shiro-chan…"

I looked up at him and he smirked. Uh, oh—I knew that smirk. He loosened the hold on my knees and shoulders and my stomach dropped and it felt like I was about to go down the big drop of a roller coaster. "No!" I exclaimed and flailed my arms around until they were latched around his body.

"What was that Bedwetter?" I could hear the smirk in his words while I pulled him closer to me.

"Never mind, never mind Shiro-chan."

"That's what you get for thinking I'd drop you…" He sounded pleased with himself.

Suddenly, I felt us descend slowly like a hot air balloon. The cool evening breeze flew by, fluttering my hair and dress gently. Shiro-chan made an irritated noise and I looked up at him quizzically. He looked down at me and his eyes widened, as if he was caught in the middle of an act. He scowled and looked away, muttering something under his breath. I could make out something like 'that woman.'

Before I knew it, the scent of sakura blossoms settled into my senses. My head spinned and I closed my eyes and sighed in relief. I felt Shiro-chan prod my shoulder. "Hinamori, are you tired?" There was a little worry laced in his tone and I couldn't help but think of Renji and Izuru. I giggled and looked up at Shiro-chan. He stared at me as if he wasn't sure what to do. I laughed again. "I'm fine Shiro-chan! I got muscle too! Check it out." I lift up my right arm and flexed it, displaying it to him with a smile.

He smirked. "Sure Bedwetter. That's why you cried when you got hit on the door."

I pouted at him and stuck out my tongue at him. "And whose fault was _that_?"

"The person who charged head first into the door," he responded smoothly with a smirk on his face.

We glided down until the branches of the cherry tree rustled our clothes. Shiro-chan stopped and placed me on the branch, his hands at my waist. They felt hot and lingered after before he settled next to me. Our knees and shoulders touched but I didn't say anything. Instead, I looked out at the sea of house roofs. Clumps of sakura blossoms stood at the top of my vision, making the view seem like a picture. The houses glistened with the remaining few drops of rain and I squinted my eyes, trying to stare past the big expanse and look at the mountains way off in the back. They stood tall, but from where I was sitting, they were like little ant hill mounds.

I took a deep breath. It was so breathtaking that I felt I would run out of air if I kept on looking at it. "Isn't this beautiful?" I tilted my head and leaned against his shoulder. I felt him tense but he relaxed after. It was quiet for a moment as we both just stared out.

"I've seen better." He said quietly. I turned to look at him, a little shocked, and he stared at me with those deep emerald eyes. Completely unmasked it felt like if I stared too long my breath would be taken away, like the view. I turned away quickly, hiding a blush I knew surfaced on my face.

Taking deep breaths, I calmed my racing heart and turned to look straight ahead, making sure I avoided Shiro-chan's gaze. "It's just as I imagined it would be. It's like…if you come up here…all your worries would be gone."

I looked down, swinging my legs. We were at least a good ten feet in the air. "Down there…it seems all the worries are on your back, don'tcha think?" I swung my legs, oscillating them. Suddenly, my ballet flat became loose and slipped off my foot. "My shoe!" I bent forward, instinctively to grab it but something jerked me back at my waist, making my other shoe fall down as well.

"Hn. No worries up here," Shiro-chan said. "What about you falling down?"

I couldn't respond as I was much too aware of his arm around my waist. It felt warmer than before—almost hot, like fire. I'm sure my face was equally as warm.

"T-Thank you Shiro-chan." He didn't say anything and his hand still lingered on my hip. It became an awkward silence. "Um, Shiro-chan..." I looked at him questioningly.

He stared down at me, his emerald eyes impassive. "So you won't fall," he clarified to my unasked question. My cheeks heated up. Of course, Shiro-chan—always blasé.

"So, uh Shiro-chan…when did you finally remember me?" I asked, more than happy to move away from the awkwardness. But I was a bit curious when he realized his memories. I looked up at him from the corner of my right eye.

He looked out at the houses as if he was pondering. I found myself tracing the outline of his face with my eyes. I blushed as I realized that. _Why am I blushing? It's just Shiro-chan isn't it? _

Shiro-chan's deep voice pulled me out of my thoughts as he answered.

"After I rescued you, a couple of months ago. I didn't remember you fully but after, I would always dream of you—only a younger version. I knew it was you the second I saw you and slowly the memories would come back. When I followed you, here in the human world, they would be more vivid and it was almost like I was living the memories."

I stared at him, taking all the information in. I was amazed that all this happened and I knew nothing about it.

Shiro-chan scowled suddenly as if remembering something displeasing. "My vice captain—the annoying woman I told you about—pestered me when I would go visit the human world. I ignored her and evaded her questions until, ultimately, she followed me. She saw me trailing you and that's when I knew I was found out. After interrogating me, I, reluctantly, told her about you and the dreams." A strong, cool breeze drifted by and Shiro-chan frowned. He whipped his head around and I followed him but there was nothing behind.

"What is it Shiro-chan?" I asked him, a little curious as to why he was frowning.

He turned around, shaking his head. "It's nothing. Just an annoying person who should be doing their work." His voice escalated into a command and the wind flitted by ruffling my hair and dress, lifting it up, almost exposing more than what needed to be seen.

I quickly pushed it down but the edges my dress threatened to fly up.

"Matsumoto…" I heard Shiro-chan growl. I turned to look at him, and if evil auras were visible I was sure I saw a dark fog emit around him. He tightened his hold on my waist and suddenly it became cold. Frost pinched my skin, like before, and I shivered, scooting closer to Shiro-chan.

The wind furiously picked up, whipping around my dress and hair. But, surprisingly, Shiro-chan seemed unaffected as his clothes and hair stayed the same. I instinctively clung onto him, wrapping my arms around his chest, and hid my face in his cloak in some hope that the wind would leave.

Suddenly, a blast of cold frigid air burst out next to me and tackled the wind. Goosebumps shivered on my arms and I clenched my teeth. Immediately after the cold fury, the wind died down and dissipated almost as if it escaped.

I could hear Shiro-chan mutter something along the lines of 'finally,' and 'she's going to get a stack of...' I clutched on to him tighter, feeling the cold still bite at my skin.

"Hinamori…" he called softly. I buried myself in his black cloak, loving the way it smelt of mint. It was as if I couldn't get enough of it. But, the mint smell left when Shiro-chan peeled me off him. I was afraid that he didn't like it before he took off his white haori. I looked at him, a bit confused but my eyes widened as he draped the white cloak around my shoulders. It hung like a blanket around me, clearly big for my small frame.

"If you're cold just say so, baka," he chastised. I blushed and looked down. _Why is Shiro-chan making me feel this way? _

I looked up at him. "But Shiro-chan, aren't you cold?"

He looked down at me and scoffed. "Hinamori, I'm fine. I have a full uniform while you're just wearing a dress." His gaze skimmed through me and I felt my face heat up as it traveled up. But then his eyes flitted away as if it never happened.

Feeling suddenly brave, I tilted my head onto his shoulder. Wrapping my arms around him again, I whispered, "Thank you."

"It was nothing," Shiro-chan dismissed. He leaned slowly back and I made myself more comfortable, curling up next to him. I didn't even mind when he placed his arm around my waist. It seemed as if he remembered I could fall again. We didn't speak and I watched the cherry blossoms sway.

After a moment of silence I asked him, "So was your vice captain here?"

He looked at me, startled. His emerald eyes were widened before he reverted back to his impassive self. "Yeah, she was spying on us."

I felt my cheeks heat up. Was she…did she…see everything? I replayed everything, looking for the first time I noticed another presence. "Was she here the whole time?" I asked hesitantly, hoping that the answer wouldn't be what I thought it was.

He shook his head. "No. She just came and left." I sighed in relief. But then I noticed something.

"Wait, how come I couldn't see her?" I asked Shiro-chan. "If I can see you why can't I see her?"

"That's because she hid her reiatsu—spitirual pressure," he explained. "You can see me because I'm not suppressing it." He looked down at me, his emerald eyes locked onto my face.

"Then…how come this is the first time I saw you?" I asked softly. I couldn't speak any louder in case I broke his stare.

He shrugged. "I've been hiding it all this time. I didn't want to scare you. But I have been around you."

I replayed the day back in my head. The afternoon—when the car whizzed by. Something grabbed my arm.

"This afternoon…that was you…wasn't it?"

He nodded and his jaw set. His grip tightened on my waist and he looked away but I felt him tense under.

"_Don't you…ever do something like that again…baka."_

My eyes widened and I opened my mouth to speak but nothing came out. _So Shiro-chan was the one that saved me. _I studied his set jaw and saw his shoulders shake. _He was worried about me._ I hugged him tighter, finding my voice inside. "I'm sorry Shiro-chan, I'll be more careful next time."

It seemed to sooth his nerves as his body relaxed. Shiro-chan turned to look at me and I thought he was going to retort back before he ruffled my hair. "Baka, you can't say that for sure."

I smiled and leaned against him. "By the way, you never told me about what happened after you told your vice captain."

He buried his head in my hair, causing me to jump a little. "Not much after that. She told me about the Red String of Fate." My breath hitched. "What about it," I whispered. "Something about how it connects two people together, through time and all that," he said casually. I turned to look at him.

"Do you believe that?"

He brought his face up out of my hair. "Well, it connected me to you didn't it?"

I nodded slowly, again frozen by his scrutinizing gaze. His emerald eyes grazed over my face and I felt it heat up.

"Which reminds me…" He stuck a hand into his top, and pulled something out. I stared at his closed hand, curious what was happening.

"This…is for you," he said sheepishly. I looked up at him startled and he looked away, but not before I noticed a blush. "My vice captain made me pick this out for you," he said quickly.

He opened his fist and I gasped. He pulled out the ribbon, gingerly with his hand. It was a red ribbon choker and dangling in the middle was a small cherry blossom pendant, as if it was stamped flat.

"It's—it's," I said as I struggled to find the right words to convey what I was feeling. He looked at me, unsure. "It's okay if you don't like it…" he trailed off, sounding a little disappointed and embarrassed to be doing such a thing. I shook my head furiously stopping him from continuing. "No, it's beautiful." I smiled at him and he returned it, a little relieved.

Feeling a whole new wave of courage I asked softly, "Can you put it on for me?"

He froze and I wondered if I said the wrong thing. He firmly nodded and I slowly turned my back to him. My heart pounded hard in my chest but I ignored it. I felt Shiro-chan take my hair in his hands gently as he moved it to the side. His fingers skimmed the last strands and pushed them to the side. I heard him gulp.

He took the necklace and brought his arms over my head and around my neck, then pulled the necklace towards me. He wrapped the necklace, softly around me and where his fingers were above my skin, I felt little heat currents. He barely touched my skin but I felt him tie the knot at the back of my neck. I reached out to touch the cool pendant as it hung below my collarbone. "It's beautiful," I echoed.

I turned to look at him and gazed straight into his eyes, for the first time today, unafraid. Before I knew it, I was following into that deep color and moving towards him.

"You know, it's supposed to symbolize the Red String of Fate," he whispered.

"Really?" I breathed.

He nodded and placed a cool hand on my cheek, lifting my head up. "Remember when you tied the red string around me on your fifth birthday?" I nodded. How could I forget? "This," he whispered, "is my promise to you: I will always be with you."

I froze, letting him come closer. His cool breath fawned over my cheeks. "Do you promise to be with me, forever…Momo?" He was so close that I could see his dark eyelashes and feel his white bang tickle my forehead. The mint smell drifted through and I took it all in.

I smiled at him. I didn't have to think of an answer.

"I do," I responded surely.

He smiled. "Good, cause now… I'm going to seal it…" He pressed forward and kissed me on the lips. I gasped but quickly closed my eyes as I melted into it. It felt like fireworks were exploding into my head as I got sucked into his sweet kiss. His lips were firm as they melded with mine. Instinctively, I placed my hands on his chest. He pushed his hand into my hair, running my locks through his fingers as he tightened his grip on my waist.

The sakura scent grew stronger and lulled me more into a daze. I smiled and savored the moment. I felt his lips pull away, and after a moment I opened my eyes to look at him, still dizzy from the kiss. He noticed this and chuckled. "How do you feel?"

I looked up at him dreamily, "Like I'm in heaven."

He smiled and leaned forward, pressing his forehead on mine. "Happy Birthday, Momo."

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>I hear wedding bells! LOL. I feel the ending was forced but hey, that's me. Send some feedback and constructive criticism please! I might edit this in a couple days but what ever. :) Glad I posted it out. Now I can work on my Ichiruki story ^_^ Wanna a hint? There's magic involved and an exam. Not much info but there's a tidbit. There will be Hitsuhina too. Check my profile for updates.

**Edit (Author's Continued Note): **OK. So, I opened my account and what do I find but 9 (well, 8 considering one wasn't even a proper review but more like spam. The person didn't even have the decency to log in but submitted it anonymously. I hope you Hitsuhina fans know who I'm talking about) reviews! ^_^ You guys make me happy~ Love you all *throws cookies* *crowd moves and cookies fall on ground* O.o Oh...awkward.

Anyways, I have been asked to make this into a multi-chapter fic. I have never considered that before since this was just meant for Momo's birthday. BUT...I am thinking about it. It might be hard with two multi-chapter fics I'm planning to write but I might do it :) However, for certain, I am going to write a next chapter to this. Maybe to explain some unknown and poorly explained things. Will mostly be Hitsugaya-centric but with a beloved third party who made her...'fleeting appearance' in this chappy. (Though, she was in the last chapter as well). So that is why I changed it to 'incomplete.' That is probably unprofessional on my part but what ever. You guys want it and I don't mind writing it!

Christmas cookies to all those who review! I made them myself! *tastes one* *coughs* Um...anyone want some? Lol! And since I won't update until then, Happy New Year!, Happy Holidays!, Feliz Navidad et Joyeux Noël, and all other festive greetings! PCE


	3. Her Duty

The Red Stringed Promise

**Author's Note: **Happy Feburary 29th/ leap day! And Happy-Belated-Valentine's Day to you all too :) I hope you all had a wonderful day. Anyways, I worked very hard yesterday and today to finish typing this epilogue up so that I could update it specifically on today. Because, c'mon, think about it. Ferbuary 29th is a pretty awesome day to update a story considering it only comes every four years :D

As promised this is the story of the character with her 'fleeting' appearance. Actually, this is all mainly about her XD Not much Hitsugaya, but there is some fluff at the end. :)

So special thanks goes to all the lovely reviewers who offered such great remarks, critics and favourites. Without you guys, this wouldn't be possible.: **skylark dragonstar, Hyourinmaru10, Bird of Rebirth, fruitcups ahoy, Someone, Auerila Artemee, rabukawa, **and **ayoshi-chan923**.

**Disclaimer: **Too tired to think of something catchy, again. Um, I don't own Hitsugaya's new scarf nor haircut.

**A note for your benefit: **If you are finding it hard to visualize Rangiku's world, try looking up **The Boys** by **SNSD**, Please **Don't Cry** by **Park Bom** and/or **Touch** by **Miss A**. I thought those were pretty close and I got some inspiration from those settings. I might edit this in a couple days, so I might make the scenery better.

Now, without further adieu.~

* * *

><p><em>A stack of papers flopped on her desk, creating a <em>thud _on her already messy desk. Matsumoto raised her eyebrow and looked up at her captain._

"_What is this?" she asked slowly. It was unusual to get this much paperwork for her._

_He looked down at her with smile on his face. "Your assignment: you're needed to check out Sector 85 District 72. The stationed shinigami has been requesting a temporary replacement."_

_She flipped through the papers with one hand, letting them flutter. "Isn't this meant for the lower seated officers? It doesn't seem that grave."_

"_Rangiku-san," he cooed, "This is important. A hard working officer is asking for assistance because he's too tired. The Eight Division prides themselves with helping the over-stressed."_

_She shot him a blank look. "Basically, he needs a vacation."_

"_Exactly!" he chirped. "I'm sure you'll be willing to help a fellow worker relax. Who knows...this may allow you a promotion..." he trailed off looking down at Matsumoto through the corner of his eyes. He smiled to himself as he saw the red head flinch._

_Hook line and sinker._

_And now to reel it in. "But, if you don't want it then..." He moved to take the stack of papers but they were whipped out of his reach. "Who said _I_ didn't want it?" she asked indignantly._

_He shrugged, his flower cloak slipping casually off his shoulders. "Just making sure. You're assigned to leave in two days time. The rest of the info should be there..." He looked down but she wasn't listening anymore as she scanned through the documents._

_He chuckled and began to walk away. He truly knew how to get his way._

"_Oi, Kyouraku-taicho! There better be some sake by the time I come back," she called behind him._

_He smiled and simply replied with a wave of his hand._

...

_Birds chirped as the sun shone through the clouds. Like cotton puffs they __sailed through the robin egg blue sky, setting the perfect mood for a warm spring afternoon._

_Rangiku sighed as she trailed them. She had to admit one thing: she was bored out of her mind. She had been in the Living World for about a week and the only action was the sparse hollow and occasional soul burial. Otherwise, cloud watching seemed to be the only interesting thing. She would have gone shopping, but with an eight seat's pay, you couldn't you really buy much. She wouldn't even mind doing paperwork._

_She sighed again. _I must be _that_ bored if I want to do paperwork.

"_Baa-san! Can I ask you something?"_

_Her ears picked up the cute voice. She trained herself to be attuned to the things that _really _mattered: gossip, potential cuties, new promotions on sake etc._

_And her ears did not disappoint her as she rolled onto her stomach and her eyes scanned the setting from below her. A short kid was sitting next to an old lady but what caught Rangiku's eyes wasn't that. _Well, would you look at those eyes and hair. _Rangiku smiled to herself. _He's going to grow up to be a ladies' man. _She could already imagine an older version of the boy; he'd still be short but inside she knew his face would grow into a much more handsome version. She watched as he talked to the elder woman next to him—probably his grandmother, Rangiku thought._

"_What would Bedwetter Momo like for her birthday?" His emerald eyes were deadlocked on her face as he looked up. "I wanna get her a gift early so no one else takes my idea!"_

Bedwetter?

_Rangiku followed the grandmother and boy's gazes as they settled on a small girl with a skipping rope. _Oh, _Bedwetter_, how cute, _she mused to herself. _That must be his nickname for her. _Rangiku watched as the little girl laughed and smiled along next to her two friends. _She's pretty cute as well.

_"Well…" The grandmother pondered as she looked at the girl who was now skipping rope and laughing."That's a tricky one…but, Momo is perfectly content with anything that you would give, Toushiro-kun."_

_He crossed his arms. "But I need to know what to give her; she'd complain if I got her anything so it needs to be something she wants."_

Aww, the little boy wanted to give a _special _gift, _she giggled. _Young friendships are so cute. _Suddenly an image of silver crossed her mind and she frowned. _Okay. Not all young friendships.

_The lady sighed. After a moment she spoke, "It may be tricky but she has always wanted to see sakura blossoms. Momo has never got a chance to see one since there are not any nearby sakura trees. I'm sure she would like that."_

_Toushiro's eyebrows furrowed as he mulled over what the old lady had said. "Well, how do you grow one?"_

_"You plant a cherry seed from a cherry and water it regularly. In a few months it should sprout a small sapling."_

_Toushiro scrunched his face as he dwelled on what the old woman said. He focused his eyes on Momo who was now telling an animated story to her friends from across the street; throwing her hands and widening her eyes in exclamations._

_"Okay Baa-san, that's what I'm going to do…I'm going to grow a sakura tree for Bedwetter so then she won't have to complain about not seeing them!" Toushiro exclaimed._

_BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!_

"_Shoot!" Rangiku harshly whispered as she hastily tried to hush the phone. It chose now to go off? She rolled her eyes. And just as she was getting into this little matter. She looked down at the screen. There seemed to be a Whole roaming around about five kilometres away._

_With one last look at the boy, who seemed to shouting at the little girl, she whisked off leaving them._

_..._

Now where is that spiritual pressure?

_Rangiku flash stepped from roof to roof, trying to discern the surrounding area. Earlier before she had felt a fluctuation of reiatsu, and immediately swallowed her mod soul pill before flying off._

_It was dangerous to leave any high amount of reiatsu unchecked as it was like dangling bait in front of a hollow. It would only lead to a messy job and Rangiku already learnt from her academy days how dangerous berserk hollows were. Even if it was a whole, might as well give it a soul burial._

Ah! Found it!

_She stopped and closed her eyes, slowing down her breathing. If she let her mind wander she could feel something like a ribbon drifting out towards her. But it was like trying to see through murky water. Taking another deep breath and concentrating on increasing her reiatsu, she could make out the red colour as it drifted near her._

_Suddenly, it grabbed onto her wrist and wrapped itself around her tight. Before she could even make a noise, Rangiku was whisked away. The wind swooshed past her, fluttering her hair and leaving her breathless. _

_Then it stopped and the ribbon disappeared. The black water dispelled, like ink being purified. She opened her eyes and right down below her was the same white haired kid she had seen from before._

_"Why won't you grow you stupid plant?"_

_He seemed angry as he huffed and glared at the plant in a stubborn frown. Rangiku watched with an amused smile as he continued to 'stare down' the plant into coming out. After what seemed like two minutes, he let out an aggravated noise._

_"Why can't you grow?" Toushiro bent down to look at the plant. "Are you afraid? Or, you just can't?" Toushiro whispered. "You know, you're not the only one. I can't grow that much either and everyone takes advantage of that. Bed-wetter and Baa-san keeps on ruffling my hair like I'm a kid." He shrugged, "It's okay when Baa-san does it; I like it. But, Bedwetter shouldn't do it. I'm supposed to protect her—not the other way around!" Toushiro looked down his bangs covering his eyes. "Sometimes…I wish I could grow up…I want to be someone that's stronger and who can protect something."_

_Rangiku leaned in closer, curiously trying to get in a better look._

Is he...crying? Impossible! That bratty kid couldn't possibly know how to cry! _She looked closer and smiled wistfully as she watched him bite his trembling lip and swap at his eyes._

"_Stupid tears," he mumbled. _

Even the toughest of brats have a softie inside of them. If only there were more people out there like him. _Rangiku looked at the plant, a plan already concocting her mind. _Well, if you look at that, Rangiku messing into human matters. Maybe I'm becoming a softie—especially for budding romance. _She sighed at that._

_She leaped off the house roof and glided down next to boy. Getting closer, she could see that he really was a cute little boy who hid behind his scowl. She bent down and kissed his cheek before slightly ruffling his hair._

You're lucky kid. I _might_ just help you give your special gift.

_She leapt off, already thinking of ways to extend her assignment by a couple days. If she had the plan right, she would need to get it done in two days max._

_..._

"_Excuse me but I need to speak to Kurotschi-taicho!"_

_Rangiku quickly rapped on the doors of the Twelfth Division as she called out._

_Shortly after she came back from the Human World she had dropped the reports and paperwork for the extension on her captain's desk before rushing off to the Twelfth Division._

_Normally, Rangiku had never treaded into this territory as it was only filled with over-slaved officers, a mad scientist, and creepy experiments that roamed its halls. To say it was the least favoured division of the new recruits each year is understandable. _

_And plus, no one had ever heard of sake in that forsaken place._

_But desperate times called for desperate measures._

_She knocked harder, almost banging the door. "I need to talk to Kurotschi-taicho right now! It's urgent!"_

_Just as she was about the knock again, the door slid open revealing the pale, horned assistant—Akon, was it?_

_He looked at her with a tired sort of look. "How can I help you?"_

"_I need to speak to Kurotschi-taicho," she said quickly, not wanting to delve too much into formalities. She looked around Akon. "Is he busy now?"_

_Akon sighed. "He's always busy and I'm afraid he has no time for urgent matters," he said as he moved to close the door._

"_Wait!" Rangiku held the door open. Akon looked at her surprised, and she would have bet anyone would be surprised if they saw the look on her face, which she could only guess was desperate and tired. She let go off the door and looked at Akon straight in the eye. "It'll only take a few minutes," she said quietly._

_He looked at her skeptically, as if he was weighing out the pros and cons of all of this. He sighed and turned his back to her. "It should be quick. He isn't at his best mood at the moment."_

_Rangiku smiled and said "Thank you" gratefully before slipping inside and closing the door behind her._

_She followed Akon blindly, as the whole place seemed to spook her. It was dark and unnaturally cold with blinking lights in all directions. An occasional beep would break the silence, but otherwise it was like a morgue._

"_Don't get lost," the assistant warned her. "It's hard to find your way."_

_She mutely nodded her head, not needing to be told twice since the whole place sent shivers up her spine. If she made it out, she would never complain about her strict fukuutaicho ever again. After a whole pattern of twists and turns that she found incomprehensible, Akon stood in front of a grim black door. He looked at her warily._

"_Are you still sure about this?"_

_She had to resist the urge to say no, but stiffly nodded. He looked at her skeptically again. "If you say so...Might as well go on in." He turned around and walked back into the dark maze but not before throwing a solemn "Good luck" over his shoulder._

_Firmly setting her shoulders back and tucking her chin in, she got set for what may affect her fate and others._

_She knocked on the door, and it echoed in great thuds. "Excuse me Kurotschi-taicho, I need to address you about a certain matter."_

_There was a loud thudding noise from inside which she took as permission. She pushed opened the door warily, and peeked her head in, which almost got knocked off as a bottle whirred straight towards her._

"_Eep!," she squeaked and ducked. The glass battle shattered into pieces just inches from her head and she could see a green ooze spilling down. Her heart sped as images of what would happen if the glass had hit its target whirred through her mind._

"_What is it?" a shrill voice called out. _

_The red head looked up and through her bangs. She could see the twelfth division captain off to the side, throwing flasks and beakers precariously into the air. His stoic vice-captain, Nemu, was off the side, unaffected._

_Somehow, her voice seemed to grow smaller as she heard glasses shatter repetitively. "I-I need a-a—"_

"_I do not have time for petty things. If you do not have anything for me, get out," he replied absent mindly, his back still facing towards her. He stopped and made an aggravated noise. "You stupid cow, where did you put the X chemical?" he yelled at his vice captain. "Didn't I tell you to put it with the others? Can't you even comprehend such simple language or do I have to reboot you again?"_

_He turned back and began thrusting open his drawers. Rangiku looked at the vice captain with a look of pity but she did not seem affected at all. _She must be used to this...poor thing, _she noted. _

But, right now, I have something important to get, _Rangiku thought, shaking her head of the little doubts. _That's why I came to this god-awful place.

_With a new wave of courage she cleared her throat. "Kurotschi-taicho, if I may have a moment," she said much louder. He stopped his ramblings and slowly turned around to face her with a look of annoyance. "What?" he asked coldly, and a bit ticked off. Her will wavered but she swallowed it down._

"_I need a growth serum for my assignment in the Human World."_

_She tried not to fidget as he gazed skeptically at her. After a few moments he surprised her and laughed._

"_What in the damn world would make you think that you can get a growth serum for me?" His laughter was cold and humourless. "And more so specifically"—he raised an eyebrow at her— "with no satisfying explanation."_

"_I can fully guarantee you, sir, that this is a true request but I cannot give out more info about it."_

_He flicked his hand dismissively. "Then I have no need for a fool that can't give me that much. Out and leave me." He pointed at his vice captain. "Direct her out and see to it that she doesn't come squabbling back. If not you will be sent to the isolation corner," he commanded snidely._

"_Wait!" Rangiku exclaimed. Things couldn't end so fast. She hadn't even put up a fight yet! "That isn't fair! I—"_

_She was silenced as Nemu flash stepped towards her and grabbed a hold of her arm. "Master Kurotscihi will not be disturbed," she directed monotonously while she pulled a protesting Rangiku out of the room._

"_If you would just—"_

_Before she knew it, she was in front of the division doors, as Nemu unhanded her. Rangiku dusted herself off, a little ticked that she was not heard out. She looked into Nemu's eyes. "Doesn't it bother you that he doesn't let you do want you want?"_

"_Master Kurotschi chooses what is right," she responded in a clipped tone. She grabbed something from the back of her dress and brought it, pushing it towards Rangiku. "Make sure she doesn't come squabbling back," she repeated before dropping it. Rangiku caught it just as Nemu closed the doors with a loud thud._

_A little shocked at what happened, she looked down in her hands. A small vial glowed with a green liquid inside._

_She smiled. _

Maybe, I'll forget about the 'squabbling' part.

_..._

_After her 'successful' accomplishment at the Twelfth, Rangiku had patiently waited for the approval of her extension papers. Well, if you call 'patiently,' fidgeting with impatience and anxiety to get the heck of there. As soon as her captain dropped the approval onto her desk, she leapt off without a second thought leaving a slightly dishevelled captain in her wind, his cloak half off._

_She raced through the Precipice, eagerly following the Hell Butterfly before jumping out into the Human World. She had memorized where the house was, but even still, she could sense the red ribbon directing her towards her destination._

_She recognized the roof immediately, her perch in watching the budding romance, and quickly jumped onto it and into the backyard._

_Rangiku looked around for the plant and immediately spotted it by the stone steps. It wasn't that great of hiding place as the red pot gave it away, but it did make it easier to find. On the side of the pot was a white label with scrawly black letters: DON'T TOUCH!_

_She smiled at that and bent down. The soil was moist and she could only presume the boy was watering the plant religiously. _Well, now he won't have to worry that much... _She slipped the vial out of her robe, fingering the small glass figure. _Now...How much should I put in? _Rolling it around in her hand, the green liquid swished and gleamed in the sun light like an emerald. It didn't seem as harmful as the other concoctions the twelfth captain threw around._

Let's try a few drops. _Popping the cork off, she tenderly drew the vial down, letting two drops roll before slipping and falling into the soil. She peered closer, as if expecting it magically shoot up._

It wouldn't hurt to put more..._she shrugged and dumped the whole vial in precariously._

_The pot seemed to rumble and glow with an earth green before turning back to normal. Taking this as a good sign, she tucked the vial back into her robe._

"_Now it's up to you," she whispered softly before standing up and flash stepping away._

_..._

_After that, Rangiku did not see the white haired boy, nor his friend. She couldn't extend her assignment otherwise it would surely arise suspicions from her co-workers, who knew her as the 'procrastinator,' and 'slacker.' All she could hope was that the plant grew and that the boy could give it to her. Just thinking about it gave her a warm fuzzy feeling inside, which was surprisingly enough to be content with. Even if it had been human matters, it felt good that atleast one pair of child hood friends had a happy moment._

_Sitting down at her desk methodically filling out papers gave her time for her thoughts to wander. And it wandered all the way to the back of her mind, where she had pushed the quiet persisting question that had been nagging her._

_Why go to such extent for a couple of mundane kids?_

_She bit her bottom lip. Rangiku didn't really want to dwell on these things. Cause, deep inside, she knew the reason why. Now accepting it—that was a whole different story._

_She slouched her shoulders, and sighed as she blew her bangs out of her face._

Stupid paperwork_, she grumbled inside._

"_A penny for your thoughts?"_

_Rangiku eyes flew wide as she jumped in her seat. He stood there grinning, as if he just fooled her. But in way, he had, more than once. His silky silver hair, hung in front of his half closed eyes, like a curtain. Even though they were closed, she could tell he was smiling in them. She knew him that well._

_It seemed she was staring at him because he shook a hand in front of her line of vision. "A little spacey today, aren'tcha ya?"_

_Rangiku blinked, regaining focus._

"_I am fine, thank you," she said a bit briskly, trying to get her bearings together. _

_He tilted his head to the side, with a slight quizzical face. "Really? Ya don't seem fine t' me."_

_She bristled. He always had this uncanny way of knowing what was inside her head, much to her annoyance sometimes. "I apologize, Ichimaru-sempai, but I am quite fine," she replied evenly before resuming reading through her paperwork. _

_She skimmed through the lines, but her concentration wavered as she still felt his deep gaze on her. It nerved her, but she wouldn't let him take that satisfaction in. Stubbornly biting her lip, she fought to focus on the new squad guidelines._

_The moments dragged on into minutes, and she swore other squad officers were staring at this strange scene: her fidgeting under his gaze._

"_Ichimaru-sempai," she asked with a hint of exasperation, "Is there anything you need?"_

_He shook his head. "Nope, just wanted t' see ya."_

_Her heart sped faster, but she ignored it. "Well, thank you, but I must do my work." Already picking up a pen, she was growing tired of his games._

_She stiffened as he laughed. "I don't think I'd ever remembered Ran-chan eagerly working..."he mused._

_She flushed and immediately stopped writing. Rangiku looked up at him and he casually lifted his arms coyly. "It's true."_

"_Gin, why are you _really _here?" she asked warily, forgetting about formalities. Rangiku might as well confront him. They had been through this dance many times._

_He shrugged. "I just did."_

"_That wasn't the reason Gin," she said testily, "and you and I both know it."_

_Gin looked at her with slightly raised eyebrows, but with a taunt in his lips. "I dunno what you're gettin' at Ran-chan..." he said quietly._

"_Yes, yes you do Gin," she said much louder this time. Now she was standing and craning her head up to look at him. Rangiku could feel other people looking at them, but she didn't really care at all at the moment. _

"_It's always like this! You'll come and see me, but then after you ignore and distance yourself! Why do you keep on doing this?"_

_She was slightly panting as he looked down at her, with his eyes slightly opened to the cold blue eyes. The way they skimmed over her face sent shivers up and made her heart speed up._

"_You wouldn't understand...Ran-chan," he softly muttered that only the both of them heard. _

_Her eyes widened. "I don't understand?" she asked indignantly. "Then tell me—"_

_He pulled back and smiled at her with a crooked grin, his eyes closed again. "You were right" he said playfully. "I only came to drop some papers for yar taicho." He grinned at her before waving a hand casually. "Bye bye Ran-chan."_

_And he sauntered off with a slouch in his step, leaving her staring at his broad back. As soon as she couldn't see him anymore, she slouched down and buried her head in her arms, not willing to look up at anyone._

Every single damn time...He comes close but pulls away...like a damn snake.

_After that snowy day, things had become like a great cavern between them. He wouldn't hold her close like he used to, and kept to himself. Leaving her off to go the Shinso Academy, Rangiku couldn't guess what exactly was on his mind. And now, she was here under him, as he accelerated through the ranks of his division like a breeze. There was a rumour that he was a strong contender for the captain seat, but denied it._

"_Stupid..." she grumbled._

"_Looks like ya need some sake," a smooth voice called out. She looked up into the sake bottle stretched out in front of her. He shook it and looked at her. "Do you want some?"_

"_How'd you—?"_

"_Ise-fuukataicho told me as soon as she saw him." Her captain smiled at her. "She isn't as bad as you think."_

_She stared up at him before taking the bottle and taking a sip. A moment passed as she let the warm feeling come over her. "Thanks," she said quietly. "Tell that to Ise-fuukutaicho for me, too."_

"_Will do," he chirped before setting another bottle and walking off._

_Now sitting her with the bottle of sake and the bitter liquid burning through her throat, she knew why she had done it._

_If she couldn't have some real happiness, might as well make some for others. And with that, she chugged down a whole bottle._

_In the midst of all the drowning of sorrows, Rangiku hadn't realized that Gin had come empty handed._

_..._

_Time flew past after that, even for a shinigami. Though, it did help that Rangiku had sake to quick the pace. Things were still stiff between her and Gin, but she had resolved to push him to the back of her mind. And with that, she had managed to grab the third seat position, after too much paperwork, assignments, and training. _

_But, in the end, it sure as hell felt good._

_And to celebrate Rangiku thought that she would go the candy store in Junrinan and buy some good sake and dried persimmons. She had heard her co-officers raving about the high quality products, for a cheap, low price. Even though it was all the way in West Rukon District, the distance was worth the deal._

_It wasn't really in her plans to go all the way out, but somehow she found herself walking in that direction, like something was pulling her. Like as if she had walked the way many times, Rangiku found herself going through short cuts and quick paths before she saw the store up ahead, its chimney coughing like grey puffs. Which, she thought, was pretty baffling since she had never even entered the store, let alone, set foot in Junrinan._

_When she saw the wooden hut, something waved into the distance. She immediately recognized, even though it had been years: it was the red ribbon._

What's that doing here..._she wondered. It was waving and twisting like it was beckoning Rangiku to come forward. Tentatively, she followed the string inside to the store. That's when she saw a tuft of white hair._

White hair?_ When she walked inside, she saw a short boy at the counter talking to the clerk. The red ribbon was tied around his waist, but it didn't seem anyone noticed._

"_Your change is three kan," the clerk coldly replied. But what caught Rangiku's eyes was just as the clerk was about the drop the change into the boy's open hand he dropped it away from him._

"_Go home as soon as you're finished here," he said dismissively before turning away._

What the hell?

_And before she knew it…_

"_Hey you!" she exclaimed. "You shouldn't treat customers like that! Are you taking advantage of him because he's a kid?" She walked up to him, glaring down at the clerk. "I never realized how rude the people at this store were!"_

"_N-no, that isn't—," he protested. She silenced him with a cold look before turning around and picking up the boy by the scruff of his back._

"_How long are you going to sit and cry? Man up and say what's on your mind!"_

_He shook his head and glared at her. If not considering the situation, Rangiku would have found it pretty funny since his nose was bleeding._

"_And just whose fault is that?" he snapped. "Besides, I'm not crying! Let me go!" He whacked her hand hard, making her pull back._

"_I said let me go!" he shouted. With a final push, he jumped down and ran off, his candy beans in tow._

"_Hey…wait a sec?"_

_But her words were lost as she watched his small back run off into the field. It was the same back that she had watched shake and rack with small tears as it gazed over the plant._

_To see the white haired boy after all these years...she did not expect that at all. It's been only—what?—seven? Ten years? She didn't pay much attention to human time but she knew it hadn't been long._

And he's already dead...? _Something pooled in the pit of her stomach and immediately the image of the pig tailed girl came into her mind. _Is she dead as well...? What a pity...

_New souls were never really a surprise at all to her as a shinigami, so she wasn't shocked. But, something in the back of her mind nudged her and irritated her. _And at such a young age...

_Rangiku continued to stare in the same direction the boy left, as if somehow he would materialize. New souls were common, but...she had had hope for him and his childhood friend._

_But now...it was over._

_She glimpsed at the store behind but turned her head and made her way back. The whole meeting has soured her mood and she wasn't enthusiastic to test out the store, considering how rude the employees were._

_She sighed. _You're getting too worked up over this, _she berated. _You can't help them now. It just wasn't meant to be...childhood friends aren't meant to last, _she thought bitterly._

_Rangiku walked off the path she came, leaving all off what she had planned in broken shards._

_..._

_Later that night, she dreamed of the red ribbon again. As soon as her eyes fluttered closed, they darkness enveloped her, like the murky water. The red ribbon came drifting through like it was dancing and floated in front of Rangiku. Instead of wrapping itself around her wrist, it just remained there, almost as if it was waiting._

_She had no reason to resist, she wasn't afraid of it. So instead she followed it. Rangiku trailed behind the ribbon as it flipped and turned in front of her. _

_She walked through the darkness until she saw a light coming from the end. As soon as Rangiku came in arms reach of the light it exploded and she shut her eyes from the blinding rays._

_She put her hands down as she felt the light recede and tentatively opened her eyes._

_In front of her was a huge expanse of white sand. It glittered and twinkled in the light, even though there was no sun, or moon out. Up above rose petals flew down from the neutral gray sky like snowflakes—red crimson snowflakes. It seemed like they were drifting out of nowhere._

_Cold grey stone figures jutted out from the sand at awkward angles. But when Rangiku looked closer, she found they were broken antique structures. Corinthian columns leaned off at sides and creeping ivy covered arches stood, creating an allusive gothic atmosphere. _

Where am I...?

"_You're in my world," a melodic voice chirped._

_Rangiku snapped her head to the sound and her blue eyes widened. Perched on the top of an Ionic stone column was a young girl in a white summer dress that rippled with pink highlights. A huge red bow protruded from her back and the tails drifted like they were in water. She couldn't have more than eight or ten years old, Rangiku thought. But what caught Rangiku's attention was the girl's flame fire red hair and coal black eyes. Even through the down pour of petals she could tell this girl was pretty._

_The girl leaped from her little perch and stepped down like she was floating on air, her red ribbons trailing slowly behind. "Hiya, I'm Akai," she chirped. "What's your name?"_

_Rangiku raised a thin eyebrow at her. "What do you mean this is your world?" she asked, cutting to the point._

_Akai bit her lip hesitantly and sighed. "I like the way you've decorated this place," she said distractedly. Her coal black eyes scanned the area, trailing along the stone columns. "It's very...refined and displaced." Akai turned her head and looked straight at Rangiku, her black eyes sparkling. "Love isn't something you appreciate, no?"_

_Rangiku raised her eyebrows even higher. What kind of girl was making these assumptions? "What are you talking about? What do you mean I decorated this place?" Rangiku asked incredulously._

_Akai blinked. "You decorated this place. This is your perception of my world." She shrugged. "It's not something I see regularly but I like it." Akai smiled at her ambiably._

"_I created this...?" Rangiku asked. Akai nodded. "And this"—she swept her hands around—"is your world...?" _

_She giggled. "You're getting this fast."_

_No, not really. Rangiku still found this a bit farfetched, considering she had never seen this place nor even met this little girl._

"_Are you a spirit?" she asked._

_Akai fiddled with her dress and sighed before turning her head and looking far off into the distance. "No, not really. But at the same time, yes. If someone believes so, I am," she said softly before turning back to Rangiku and smiling at her. "But it seems you believe in me, so I live according to you." She sounded happy as she said that._

"_I believe in you...?" Rangiku asked. This was getting out of control. "Hold up." She lifted her hands in front of her and Akai looked at her questioningly."Explain things. And don't be vague about it."_

_She tilted her head, looking a slight confused. "Okay...I will... 'hold up' as you put it." She sat, but not on the ground. From the way Rangiku was viewing it, Akai looked like she was sitting on an invisible chair._

"_I'm the human embodiment of the Red String of Fate, the legend you most commonly known. I can be known as many things to different people," she explained lightly. "To the Romans, I'm known as Cupid, and to the Greeks I'm Eros. But to be honest, I like this embodiment much better," she said resignedly. _

"_The Red String of Fate..."Rangiku murmured. It sounded familiar but she couldn't place it. "I don't remember anything like the Red String of Fate," she said defensively._

_Akai's eyes widened. "Oh of course, you haven't been tied, silly," she replied with a giggle. "But," she said in a sing-song voice, "you have helped ministrate it together, which makes you a believer."_

"_When did I ever do that?"_

_Instead of replying, Akai bent down and picked the rose covered sand and threw it in the air. It shimmered in the air but before it fell, the sparkles started to turn colours. Like a fog being lifted, the sparkles turned from a blur of colours into an image._

"Wait a sec Shiro-chan! I almost forgot!"

_It was the white haired boy and his childhood friend. She was on top of him, smiling down at him while he scowled at her._

The boy raised an eyebrow as he watched his friend take a loose string from her red dress and rip it out. "What are you doing Bedwetter?" She mumbled a "hold on," as she struggled to tie the string onto her right pinky. She looked up at him, "Shiro-chan, can you please tie this?"

He complied, a look of confusion on his face. She smiled and said "thank you," as she tied the other end to his left pinky. "Wait, Bedwetter, why are you tying me to the string?" He stared at it with suspicion as if the thing could hurt him.

"Okay! Done! Shiro-chan, this is called the _Red String of Fate_," the girl explained as she held up her pinky to show him. "It means that two people will always be together! For forever and ever and ever! That's what Obaa-san told me!"

The boy stared at the string like it was a foreign object as he processed the explanation. "So...that means you and me will be together forever?"

"Yep!" She nodded, her pig tails flying. "That way, you have no choice but to climb up the tree with me!"

_The projection stopped and shattered into small fragments as it scattered to the ground._

_Akai smiled wistfully as she watched the shards fall gently down. "From that moment on, those two have been tied together. The little girl believed enough and now they will always be together. That's the power of the _Red String of Fate_."_

_A warm feeling flooded through Rangiku. _So the brat and girl got their happy moment..._Suddenly, Rangiku didn't feel so cruddy about anything. Just with that tidbit of info, she could feel a smile tugging on her lips._

_But as soon as she thought that, realization struck._

"_They boy..." she whispered. Rangiku looked up at Akai with wide eyes. "The boy...he...I saw him...here."_

_Akai smiled bitterly. "Yes, he has died. I can't do anything about that. If Fate wants him to die, he must die."_

"_But…can't you do something?" Rangiku asked incredulously._

"_Sadly, I can't." Akai sounded as if she was little kid forbidden by a parent. "My powers aren't meant to intervene in situations like this. Especially considering he's the Heavenly Guardian Incarnate."_

"_What's the use of being part of the Red String of Fate then if you can't help these two?" asked Rangiku bitterly. She couldn't help it. Two people had the chance to be together, but now they couldn't because of this stupid '_Fate'.

"_I can just watch over them," said Akai. She looked up at Rangiku, her coal black eyes twinkling. "But…you can help."_

What?

"_Me?"_

"_You have already stepped into the Red String of Fate's course by aiding towards this act. You have helped them become tied together," she said proudly._

"_But what can I do? He's already dead," Rangiku said, disbelievingly. _

"_You will see. I can't tell you more, sorry." She said apologetically. "If I did, I would intervene. I can just guarantee you that when he starts to remember, that's where your job starts."_

"_My job? Wait, why do I have to do this? I already helped enough," Rangiku said indignantly._

"_You have to, it's already written down," explained Akai._

"_What if I refuse?" Rangiku questioned. "Love has never been really good to me," she said bitterly. She knew she sounded childish, but she could only do so much._

"_I can't tell you a lot, but I promise you, if you help, I will give you back what you will lose," Akai said in a sad tone. "I think that will make up for this."_

"_What does that mean?" Rangiku asked._

"_Oops," she smiled sheepishly. "I said too much. For now, just watch over the boy and I'll take care of the girl. As soon as he starts to remember, that's when you intervene. There are people out to sever this connection between them. But, you cannot tell him anything. Let Fate run its course. I have to go soon…"she said hurriedly before she started to fade out._

"_Wait!" Rangiku shouted. "I still don't understand what you mean!"_

"_Bye Rangiku, it was nice meeting you. Don't worry; I'm going to stay with you too," she winked._

_The rose petals began to fall down faster than before, blinding her vision with dark red velvet. It was as if a huge cloud was released over them. The stone columns began to shake and stir and the sand swept up into huge storms, forcing Rangiku to cover her eyes. All of a sudden, a red ribbon darted towards her and all she saw was white after._

_..._

_..._

_..._

It was dark now, all the light gone as the sunset bade good bye and the moon rose up to wish a good night. It hung solemn up in the dark blue sky.

Rangiku leaned back, and sighed. It had been a long week for her but it seems all her work had paid off as she waited for her captain to finish up.

It had been a long while since she had had that dream of Akai and the Red String of Fate. Right after she was taken out of Akai's world, the Red String of Fate had brought her to the white haired boy's hut.

She was perplexed at first, but when she saw the insurmountable amount of reiatsu emanating from him, she knew she couldn't leave. Especially since it was freezing his poor grandmother to death.

When he had woken up with a start, she bent down and soothingly talked to him about his powers. As a shinigami, she knew she couldn't leave his powers like this untrained. But, another, much quieter part of her mind, knew she was doing what she believed was right as a girl who believed in childhood love: guiding him as much as she could now.

From that night, she had resolved to watch over the boy—now, not just a boy but her captain: Captain Hitsugaya.

And just as Akai said, her captain began regaining his memories of his past life with his childhood friend. But Rangiku did not find about this until much after when she followed him as she was kept in the dark all this time. She had been a bit annoyed that her captain had kept this from her, his own vice captain. But when she saw the way he was confused, agitated and frustrated that he couldn't remember her, all those feelings were swept away.

And now, here they were in the human world on the girl—Momo's—sixteenth birthday.

Her captain had (coldly) instructed her to keep away even though they were both ordered to confront Momo, but she had kept her word. Though, she has to admit, she couldn't help but nudge her captain a bit as he was much too slow.

She saw it as help, but her captain had not hesitated to send a cold fury down her way for her "assistance" even thought she was like her "wing-man." And all the thanks she had ever got were frostbite in places that frostbite shouldn't be.

_I hope he'll hurry up. This isn't the only time he'll be able to see her, if her does it right_, she sighed. _But, this is the first time he could actually talk to his friend, so I'll give Taicho a break—just this time._

All of a sudden, she could a cool release like a winter's first breath. Stepping down from her perch on the roof she flash stepped through the different roofs, just like she had done ages ago, before she came to the backyard with the huge cherry tree.

Giving it a small smile, she leapt down from the roof and into the open window.

"Taicho are we ready to—?"

The words immediately died on her lips as she glimpsed the scene between her captain and Momo. He was holding her upright on the bed as she slept softly against his chest. The soft, caring look that her captain was staring at Momo with almost made Rangiku look away as it was too intimate. With the small orange light illuminating them, it looked like a still life painting. He gently unwrapped the haori off of her shoulders and held her lower back as he tentatively placed her down on the bed, like she would break if he wasn't too careful.

It seemed he hadn't noticed Rangiku as he leaned down to pull up the blanket above her shoulders and closer to her face…

Rangiku looked away, feeling more intrusive than before. Usually, she would've watched from afar as it was potential blackmail against her captain but this scene…was too pure for her to spoil at all.

"You can look Matsumoto."

She turned back to see her captain shrug on his haori on, casually adjusting his collar as if the last five minutes had never happened.

"So, what did she say?"

He remained silent, still adjusting his zanpaktou and scarf, as if he didn't want to answer.

"I haven't told her," he said quietly.

"What?" she asked incredously. "Are you serious? That was the whole point of coming here! What are we going to say to the Central 46?"

"Matsumoto," he said coldly. "I don't want to give her that choice." He looked at her, his emerald eyes distant and impassive. "It's too much for her."

"But," she said implored. "We have to do it Taicho. That's the only way they'll approve of this."

He straightened his shoulders as if bracing himself. Her captain looked back at the girl sleeping in the bed, and instantly his eyes softened. It would've gone unnoticed by anyone else but she knew him that well.

"I'll tell her…later, not just now," he said somewhat dejectedly.

"Then what are we going to say to the Central 46?" asked Rangiku hesitantly. They couldn't give anything in, they had to say _something_.

"We'll tell them she has agreed to the position so I can watch over her for the time being," he ordered.

"Will that really be safe…Taicho?" She and him both knew that giving false testimony had its dangers.

He was silent for a moment, as if pondering. "That's all we can do, Matsumoto," he sighed. "Come on, let's go."

He took out his zanpaktou and twisted it. There was a rush of wind and a blinding light then two paper lattice doors opened with two butterflies coming out.

"We've already spent enough time here. Let's go Matsumoto," he said.

"Yes sir," she answered quietly.

With one last look at the girl in the bed she walked through, trailing her captain. Even if Momo was sleeping so soundly, Rangiku felt a pool of dread and worry accumulate in the pit of her stomach.

Whatever they were heading into, she knew couldn't be good.

For it may be just the thing that Akai warned about.

The thing that was willing to cut the Fate between them.

* * *

><p><strong>Author's Note: <strong>Gah, that was so dang long! -_- Lol. I write too much. This was actually supposed to be longer (really?) but I cut that out since I thought it would have better use as the prologue for the...*drum roll* **Continuation of The Red Stringed Promise!** *throws flowers and petals into the air* So I have finally mulled over a plot, it's pretty decent and I can work with it. No complications. The story will be about 10-15 chapters, not too long I hope and will also consist of a prologue and epilogue. Now, I hope this epilogue explained stuff you weren't sure about, kept you in the shadows, and brought up stuff you didn't even care to mull about! :) Like I'm sure you people didn't really pay attention when Toushiro got 'kissed' on the cheek in the first chappy, literally and metamorphorically. :D

So leave your thoughts, comments and reviews. Will be happy to hear all about it! I'm going to work on the prologue as soon as work lessens up :) PCE


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